I am going snorkeling in Grand Cayman this summer. I have never been snorkeling before. I know this is going to sound crazy to some of you but here goes... Do they give you a brand new snorkel to use? I have issues with using the mouthpiece someone else has used. The thought grosses me out. Please let me know your experiences.

We returned from our cruise in Dec. We went to Gr. Cayman and it's a great place to snorkel!! It's very easy and won't take long to get used to. Just remember to relax!
When you go on an excursion, they reuse equipment. I myself do not want to use others mouthpieces either. I know they clean them, but still. We bought our own snorkel equipment. You can go to any place like Costco, Target or a sporting goods store and get your stuff. Much less at Costco. They have descent equipment as well. We just take our own equipment with us when we cruise because we sometimes just go on our own to beaches to snorkel.
Yes, you do have to lug your own stuff when you travel. Some people don't like to take up that much room. Every family member has their own backpack, (which is a must) and everyone is responsible for their equipment. We bring water bottles as well and just refill them on the ship.
Well, more info. than u probably need. But my advice is buy your own equipment. It shouldn't cost much at all. Maybe about 40.00 pp for fins, mask and snorkel. Coscto has their summer stuff out now so you can get it there.

Hubby and I cruise once a year and plus we are only 10 minutes from the beach here in FL. Last year we went on Navigator and before we went I bought a mask and snorkel at CVS for aobut $10. We don't use fins we use the water shows that cost $5 at Wall-Mart. The snorkel Mouthpiece was too big so I did by one on the ship that had a smaller mouth piece for $16. It has made a big diference.
Lexi

I had the same concerns you have about snorkeling. I bought my own, however; I did not purchase an inexpensive one but I went online and bought a little better snorkel. I purchased a Body Glove Dersert Dry snorkel - it's not just a tube, but it has a valve on top that prevents you from inhaling water. Also; they have masks that are very comfortable and are easy to clear without taking your head out of the water. So if you plan on doing more than one dive and, or for a long dive - I recommend purchasing a little better equipment.

another option if you don't want to purchase your own or rent from the tour companies is to rent your gear for the week from the cruise ship. Its usually cheaper this way and you have control over the sanitation of your gear.

We don't like to lug our snorkel gear so I carry antibacterial scrub or wash from Bath & Body works just to have but I take it to Chankanaab and clear everybody's mouthpiece. Alcohol wipes, great idea, easy to pack too.

the alcohol won't do much good for what you want, take Clorox instead. Take a small bottle and dilute it about 1 part Clorox to 25 parts water. Rinse the snorkel mouth piece AND the inside of the snorkel with Clorox water. It will kill almost everything except Hepatitis C.

I always bring our snorkels and we use the tours fins & masks. This year however, I brought my own mask because I now wear contacts and wanted a mask that had a nose purge (when your mask starts to fill up with water you blow your nose and all the water goes out). Bringing your own stuff hardly takes up any space and is not heavy to carry. You should already be bringing suntan lotion, hats, sunglasses and towels, so you'll hardly notice the difference in bringing your own snorkel.

Personally, I really don't trust strangers to sanitize the mouthpiece. If someone is sloppy then your putting a strangers spit into your mouth. Gross!!!. You also take a risk of getting sick or who knows what.

My advice is to at least bring your own snorkel. The rest comes with the excursion.

Also, if you have a digital camera, spring for the extra money to buy an underwater casing for it. You'll get some amazing pictures! I used to use the disposable cameras but never really got pictures that I could say were good. I posted some of my underwater shots on the Photo Album section of this board. It's titled Explorer of the Seas.

Depends on what digital camera you own. Each underwater casing is designed to go with a specific digital camera so you can be guaranteed a watertight seal and be able to operate the buttons the same way (on/off, shutter, preview, zoom, etc). Check on the manufacturer's website to see if one is available for your camera. If it is, you need to find a store that carries it. I got mine online at Best Buy but lots of other online retailers offered it. Do a search on Yahoo or Google.

About the price. Once again it depends on what camera you own. My niece payed about $75 less for hers than I had to pay for mine because she has a different digital camera. I debated on whether to buy mine or not but because I had such terrible pictures from our other trips using the disposable cameras, I considered it an investment in our memories.

Is it worth it? I'm truly amazed at the quality of my pictures.

Also, if you get one, buy some defogger caplets so your camera doesn't fog up. I got mine at a sports shop when I bought my snorkel and mask.

No, If you want pristine equipment it is best to bring your own. That is what we did. You will have a better first snorkeling experience if you have a good-quality mask fitted to your own face. And with a better first-time experience you are likely to use it many times over the years and get your money's worth out of it.